The Smell of Tears
by Juxtaposie
Summary: Rin witnesses Sesshomaru's true form. Needless to say, it leaves her feeling justa little bit upset...


Rin witnesses Sesshomaru's transformation and true form. It leaves her feeling just a little upset…

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The Smell (and, consequently, the affect) of Tears

Sesshomaru hated the smell of tears: sad tears, happy tears, tears of fear and anger, tears of pain. He hated the way their scent hung in the air, thick, warm and salty. It clung to the insides of his nose and climbed up into his head to burn into his memory. He hated the sound of it and look of it just as much, but those things were easy to forget. It was the scent that stuck with him, that plagued him in his sleep and gnawed away at his heart.

But this time, the scent did not invoke hatred or anger, as it was usually want to do. This time it was different, because it was _her_ scent; it was smothered in fear and swimming in salty tears, but it was Rin all the same - and the strange little emotion it awoke was something Sesshomaru did not recognize immediately, something that wasn't anger at all. Had he bothered to examine it closer, he would have found it to be a mix of sadness and regret. There was animosity as well, but it was directed towards no one but himself.

So Sesshomaru wisely decided those thoughts were best left alone - because, when carried through, they would have led to an end he was not quite prepared for - and turned his attention fully towards the little girl in the oddly growing tree. Rin was huddled between two split branches and the trunk, just above the level of his eye. She was hugging the stunted tree with her little arms, and her hands and feet were torn and bleeding. Tears poured from her eyes and spilled out over her cheeks, dripping from her chin to make little dark spots on her kimono. She made not a sound. No wailing or hiccuping issued forth from her small frame. Instead, it was the forest he heard crying, the wind whipping suddenly through the trees, making them creak and groan.

The affect was unnerving.

The wind pulled at Rin's hair, and cooled the tears on her cheeks, and all she did was stare at him and cry.

All he could do was stare back, because he knew that she did not recognize him. She was trying to recall the strange, otherworldly creature that stood before her, but the memories fled in the face of wild fear - fear that took the shape of a monstrous white dog, thirsty for blood and baying in the moonlight. The dog was big enough to swallow an ox in one bite. A little girl would have been no trouble at all.

Sesshomaru thanked the powers above that he had thought to wash the blood off his hands and face before searching for her.

He had just about had enough of this staring thing, and was quite exhausted. All he wanted to do was kill the hoard of demons, gather up his belongings (girl, toad, and two-headed dragon included) and settle in for the night. Though, now he recalled the events of the evening, he really should have thought a little more about transforming without giving Rin any previous notice.

So, in slight exasperation, he called her name, and broke the spell of silence that had settled over the both of them. Rin turned her face away from him and let out a loud, heart-wrenching wail. She clung desperately to the tree and sobbed wildly, her eyes squeezed shut as visions of that terrible white dog pirouetted around her.

Sesshomaru flinched at the utter despair that rolled off the small child, but he could no more change that than he could block out her crying.

"Rin," he said again, louder than before. Her crying only increased in volume, and he flinched at the violent sound assaulting his sensitive ears. He was fast running out of ideas to calm the poor girl.

What would his own mother have done?

That answer was simple: she would have taken him in her arms and held him until her own heartbeat had quieted him.

He didn't think that Rin would want to be held, especially not now and especially not by him. Nevertheless, it was the only thing he could think of, and it was the only possible end to the situation he could see.

So, with other strange emotions blossoming in his heart - fear, anxiety, trepidation, to name a few - he pulled himelf up onto one of the lower branches: he could now look over her head.

"Rin," he repeated for the third time. The little girl jumped in fright, eyes opening wide as he spoke so close to her ear. She let go of the tree branch, and would have pitched backward, but Sesshomaru reached out and pulled her small body to him. When he felt she was secured in the crook of his arm he stepped off the lower branch.

Then Rin began to struggle. The feeling of little feet drumming against his breastplate was no more than a minor annoyance, but the tiny fists assaulting his face were another matter. Coupled with the loud wailing, which was now right next to his ear, Sesshomaru knew without a doubt that he had never been in a more uncomfortable or embarrassing situation in his life.

Then, to his surprise - as well as her own, though he didn't know it yet - one of Rin's little hands, balled into a hard fist, collided painfully with his nose, which began to bleed.

Rin fell silent again, and stared at the blood. It was not a copious amount, but it was quite a stain against his pale skin.

When she looked him in the eye, the recognition was back, her brow furrowed in deep thought.

"S-Sesshomaru-sama?" she murmured softly, not yet sure if her lord had returned to her.

"Stop crying, child," was the reply he gave.

Rin did _not_ stop crying. Instead she wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed into it. He could feel the hot tears running down under his haori, but right at that moment he didn't have the heart to stop her. He decided that, just this once, it was all right to hug her back, and he held her tighter until her tears had stopped.

Then he placed her back on the ground, took a few moments to wipe the blood from his nose, and started off toward where he had left Jaken and Aun. She followed without question.

_Fin_

Author's Notes and whatnot: Well, I hope y'all liked it. It was a gift to my good friend Lady Erised, to help her with her recently acquired Sesshomaru/Rin addiction. Review!


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